Product and component materials analysis achieved by combining chemical, materials science, failure analysis, reverse engineering and industrial process experience coupled with materials analysis techniques.

Collaborative product and process focused research and development technical support turning ideas into a developed volume manufactured product. Components can be reverse engineered to determine defects and offer practical solutions. Benchmarking of competitor’s products provides direction for future development.

Metallurgy relates to extraction of metals from their ores, refining crude metals, producing alloys, shaping and the manipulation of properties. Metallurgy involves examination and characterisation of the structure of metals and alloys as well as failure investigation.

To determine physically and chemically how a product is designed and manufactured down to fine detail as required:

• Specialist Chemical Product Deformulation and Reformulation
• Materials, Product and Process Reverse Engineering

The laboratory has a significant amount of experience in taking one-off developed products and processes and industrialising them for mass production using the correct balance of project management and 6 sigma investigation techniques.

Quality products need to be suitably stable to generate sufficient shelf and operational lifetimes. The laboratory can offer a bespoke product testing service together with appropriate advice on design modification to alleviate or improve their reliability.

Independent centre for design, consultancy and support for applications using electron emission and electron optics. Provide expertise involving thermionic oxide cathodes or impregnated / dispenser cathodes for use in Klystrons, Travelling Wave Tubes (TWT), Magnetrons, X-ray sources, CRT, head up displays, valves.

Over 156 man-years of industrial process support experience covering a diverse range of products and processes using different chemicals and materials that generates a value added interpretation service.

Industrial based Health and Safety advice on either an ongoing routine basis or in reaction to a specific event (e.g. accident investigation). We have experience dealing with Health and Safety issues and can advise on both a legal and practical perspective.

Instrument consultancy service to generate cost effective client projects and staffing when suitably experienced staff are hard to recruit or not needed full time for complex tests. This offers the opportunity to employee less experienced staff or routinely outsource the measurement and quality control activity, with ongoing lab support as required.

We have experience in dealing with various environmental issues and offer advice on issues such as waste disposal, use of environmentally friendly equivalents and emergency measures and plans to minimise environmental damage in the event of an accident. We also have experience in IPPC application in industry.

The RoHS testing directive in July 2006 gave a requirement upon manufacturers of most product types to certify that their products are compliant to this standard. Essentially this means testing the component parts for the following materials: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs). We are experienced in providing this analysis and certification to our customers in a wide range of goods and industries. Click here for more information.

A revision of both hazardous waste and landfill regulations in 2005 has resulted in stricter controls being applied to waste disposal. We offer speedy, yet reliable and accurate tests to confirm and quantify levels of a particular contaminant in a waste stream.